7 Steps to Making Your Website & Branding Accessible (And Why It Matters for Your Wellness Business)

 

In a world where wellness is for everyone, your website should be too.

As a holistic business owner, you’ve likely poured your heart into creating services and content that help people feel their best—mind, body, and soul. But what if a potential client landed on your site and couldn’t access the very thing you created for them?

And remember, accessibility isn’t just a buzzword or a “nice-to-have.” It’s an essential part of inclusive design that ensures everyone — regardless of ability — can engage with your content and offerings.

“Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone’s potential.”

— Debra Ruh, Accessibility Advocate

According to the World Health Organization, over 1.3 billion people globally experience significant disability—that’s about 1 in 6 people. That means if your website isn’t designed with accessibility in mind, you may be unintentionally excluding a large portion of the very community you're here to serve.

So, how do you make your branding and website more accessible—without feeling overwhelmed or compromising your aesthetic?

Let’s walk through this together.

 
 

Why Accessibility Matters in the Wellness Space 🌸

Health and wellness are about connection, healing, and compassion. Making your digital spaces more accessible is a direct reflection of those values. Here's why it’s so important:

🌟It honours your values. As a wellness practitioner, inclusivity, integrity, and empathy are likely at the core of everything you do. Designing with accessibility in mind ensures your brand reflects that.

💗It helps you reach more people. You never know who may need your work. An accessible site ensures everyone—regardless of ability—can connect with your services, story, and support.

⚡It enhances the experience for everyone. Accessible design improves clarity, flow, and functionality. What supports someone with a disability often makes things easier for everyone else, too.

🍃It builds trust and belonging. When visitors feel seen and considered, they’re more likely to engage, return, and share your site with others.

 
 

The 7 Steps to Accessible Branding & Website Design

1. USE CLEAR, READABLE TYPOGRAPHY

Let’s start with your text—one of the most important parts of any website. The fonts and sizes you choose play a huge role in how inclusive your content feels.

✅Sans serif fonts (like Open Sans, Lato, or Helvetica) are easier to read on screens, especially for visitors with dyslexia or low vision.
✅Keep body text at 16px minimum. Footer text can be slightly smaller (14px), but anything less than that can feel uncomfortable or inaccessible.
✅Aim for short, clear sentences (15 words or fewer is a good guideline).
✅Use serif fonts sparingly, such as for headers or decorative elements, but keep the main content simple and smooth to read.

🌿 Think of your website like a calm space for your visitors to land—your text should invite them in, not make them work harder to connect with you.

 2. CREATE CONTENT THAT’S EASY TO ABSORB

Accessibility is also about how we communicate. When your content is written clearly and thoughtfully, it supports visitors with cognitive disabilities such as ADHD, dyslexia, or autism—and honestly, it benefits anyone who’s feeling overwhelmed or tired.

Instead of complicated terms or overly technical language, try using warm, conversational words that mirror how you'd talk to a client in real life.

A few ways to make your content more approachable:

✅Break up paragraphs into smaller chunks.
✅Use clear headings to guide people through your message.
✅Include bulleted lists where helpful.
✅Keep your tone calm, welcoming, and supportive.

🧘‍♀️ This is about making your content more spacious, more grounding, and easier to connect with—without losing the heart of your message.

3. ADD DESCRIPTIVE, PURPOSEFUL ALT TEXT TO IMAGES

Alt text, also known as alternative text, is what screen readers use to describe images for visitors who are blind or have low vision. It’s also incredibly helpful for people using slow internet connections or browsing with images turned off.

When writing alt text:

✅Keep it under 100 words.
✅Use clear, simple language.
✅Focus on the purpose or emotional tone of the image, not just what’s visually present.

🌸 If an image adds value to the story you're telling, describe it with care—if it’s just decorative and doesn’t add meaning or context, it’s okay to leave the alt text blank.

4. CHOOSE COLOURS WITH ENOUGH CONTRAST

Colour is a beautiful and powerful part of your brand—but it also needs to be functional. For people with visual impairments or colour blindness, colour combinations with low contrast can make your content hard or even impossible to read.

Here’s how to make colour more accessible:

✅Use the WebAIM Colour Contrast Checker to test your text and background combinations.
✅Avoid using colour alone to communicate something important (for example, don’t rely on red and green to indicate yes or no).
✅Choose hues and tones that feel aligned with your brand and inclusive to all eyes.

🎨 Colour can still be soft, calming, and on-brand—just make sure there’s enough contrast so everyone can comfortably engage with your content.

5. MAKE YOUR SITE EASY TO NAVIGATE

A thoughtful, well-structured website helps everyone find what they need—especially those using screen readers or navigating by keyboard instead of a mouse.

Keep things intuitive:

✅Use clear headings and labels.
✅Make sure buttons and links are descriptive (for example, “Download Guide” is better than “Click Here”).
✅Think of the journey through your website—how can you guide your visitors step by step, so they feel supported and at ease?

🗺️ Let your website layout feel like a guided path, a space where your visitors feel supported and in control of their journey.

6. INCLUDE MEDIA WITH MULTIPLE WAYS TO ENGAGE

 Podcasts, videos, and livestreams are incredible tools for sharing your message—but they need a few extra steps to make them accessible to all.

 Here are some best practices:

✅Add captions to all videos.
✅Provide transcripts for podcasts or audio recordings.
✅Enable live captions if you’re hosting a webinar or live event.
✅Avoid auto-playing videos. If you must autoplay, make sure it’s easy to pause or stop.

✨ When we offer more than one way to engage with content, we give people the power to choose what works best for them—and that’s a beautiful kind of empowerment.

7. BE MINDFUL WITH MOTION AND ANIMATION

Animations can add beauty and flow to your site—but when used too frequently or in high-motion styles (like parallax effects), they can cause discomfort or disorientation for some users.

Instead:

✅Use motion gently and intentionally.
✅Avoid fast-moving or interactive effects in essential areas (like forms or menus).
✅Know that many users may have motion-reduction settings enabled—so key information should never rely solely on animation to be seen.

🌀When used with intention, subtle motion can feel like a breath of fresh air—soothing, supportive, and grounded in care.

A More Inclusive Wellness Brand Starts Here

Accessibility isn’t just a checklist—it’s an act of care. It’s one more way you show your community: “I see you. You’re welcome here. This space was made with you in mind.”

As a wellness practitioner, your work is already rooted in compassion and connection. Making your brand and website more accessible deepens that impact—and makes sure that no one is left out of the healing you're here to offer.

If you’d like support in making your wellness brand more inclusive, approachable, and aligned with your values—I’d love to help.

💛 Let’s create a website and brand that feels like home for the people who need it most.
Reach out here to start your accessible design journey.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Connect with me on socials @shiva.nassiri

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